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Snowden Slams US Surveillance Programs

In an interview with Brian Williams, Edward Snowden questioned the efficacy of mass surveillance programs, saying they are "costing us our safety."

VIDEO TRANSCRIPT

CAN'T BE SURE THEY COULD HAVE CAUGHT EVERYTHING HE HAD. BRIAN?
>> ANDREA MITCHELL STARTING US OFF FROM WASHINGTON TONIGHT. THANKS.
>>> AFTER LAST NIGHT'S HOUR-LONG SPECIAL, WE KEPT THE CONVERSATION GOING ON THE WEB AND WITH OUR CORRESPONDENCE AND EXPERTS HERE IN THE STUDIO, WE CONDUCTED AN HOUR LONG P DECONSTRUCTION INCLUDING COMMENTS BY SNOWDEN THAT DID NOT AIR ORIGINALLY IN THE PRIME TIME BRO CAST. WHILE BOTH HOURS REMAIN, TONIGHT WE WANT TO AIR ANOTHER CONVERSATION FOR THE FIRST TIME. IT'S ABOUT THE GATHERING OF SO MUCH SO-CALLED META DATA AND WHY ALL THIS INTELLIGENCE GATHERING WITH ALL THIS INTELLIGENCE GATHERING DID OUR NATION MISS THE LAST DOMESTIC TERRORISM ATTACK. SNOWDEN SAYS IT STARTED WHEN THE U.S. GOVERNMENT EXPLODED THE MEANING OF 9/11.
>> I TAKE THE THREAT OF TERRORISM SERIOUSLY, AND I THINK WE ALL DO. AND I THINK IT'S REALLY DISENGINOUS FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO INVOKE AND SORT OF SCANDALIZE OUR MEMORIES TO EXPLOIT THE NATIONAL TRAMA THAT WE ALL SUFFERED TOGETHER AND WORKED SO HARD TO COME THROUGH TO JUSTIFY PROGRAMS THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN SHOWN TO KEEP US SAFE, BUT COST US LIBERTIES AND FREEDOMS THAT WE DON'T NEED TO GIVE UP, AND OUR CONSTITUTION SAYS WE SHOULD NOT GIVE UP.
>> YOU CAN SEE HOW IT HAPPENED. GUYS WITH BOX CUTTERS SPENT 200 BUCKS USING OUR OWN AVIATION SYSTEM TO TAKE DOWN OUR OWN BUILDINGS AND SMASH INTO THE PENTAGON IN A FIELD IN PENNSYLVANIA, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO? IT'S A NON-TRADITIONAL ENEMY, THE EXPRESSION IS AN ENEMY WE CAN'T SEE. WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?
>> YOU KNOW, THIS IS A KEY QUESTION THAT THE 9/11 COMMISSION CONSIDERED, AND WHAT THEY FOUND IN THE POST, WHEN THEY LOOKED AT ALL OF THE CLASSIFIED INTELLIGENCE FROM ALL OF THE DIFFERENT INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES, THEY FOUND THAT WE HAD ALL OF THE INFORMATION WE NEEDED TO DETECT THIS PLOT. WE ACTUALLY HAD RECORDS OF THE PHONE CALLS FROM THE UNITED STATES AND OUT. THE CIA KNEW WHO THESE GUYS WERE. THE PROBLEM WAS NOT THAT WE WEREN'T COLLECTING INFORMATION. IT WASN'T THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH DOTS. IT WASN'T THAT WE DIDN'T HAVE A HAYSTACK. IT WAS THAT WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND THE HAYSTACK THAT WE HAVE. THE PROBLEM WITH MASS SURVEILLANCE IS THAT WE'RE PILING MORE HAY ON A HAYSTACK WE ALREADY DON'T UNDERSTAND AND THIS IS THE HAYSTACK OF THE HUMAN LIVES OF EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN IN OUR COUNTRY. IF THESE PROGRAMS AREN'T KEEPING US SAFE AND THEY ARE MAKING US MISS CONNECTIONS, VITAL CONNECTIONS, ON INFORMATION WE ALREADY HAD, IF WE'RE TAKING RESOURCES AWAY FROM TRADITIONAL METHODS OF INVESTIGATION, FROM LAW ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS THAT WE KNOW WORK, IF WE'RE MISSING THINGS LIKE THE BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGS WHERE ALL OF THESE MASS SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS, EVERY DOMESTIC DRAGNET IN THE WORLD DID NOT REVEAL THAT THE RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICE TOLD US ABOUT BY NAME, IS THAT REALLY THE BEST WAY TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY? OR ARE WE TRYING TO THROW MONEY AT A MAGIC SOLUTION THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT JUST COSTING US OUR SAFETY, BUT OUR RIGHTS AND OUR WAY OF LIFE.
>> OUR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT PETE WILLIAMS WAS AMONG THOSE LAST NIGHT. WHAT STOOD OUT TO YOU FROM WHAT WE JUST HEARD?
>> THERE IS WIDE SPREAD AGREEMENT ABOUT HIS FIRST POINT THAT THE INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES MISSED CRITICAL CLUES ABOUT THE 9/11 HIJACKERS, IT TURNED OUT THE U.S. HAD THE INFORMATION BUT FAIL TODAY RECOGNIZE THE SIGNIFICANT. THE U.S. SUFFERED FROM TOO MUCH INTELLIGENCE IN THE RUNUP TO LAST YEAR'S BOSTON MARATHON BOMBING. TWO REPORTS INCLUDING ONE FROM CONGRESS ON THE FBI'S INVESTIGATION OF THEM. IN PASSING ALONG CONCERNS ABOUT THE OLDER BROTHER TAMERLAN BEFORE THE BOMBINGS. THE CALL TO CHANGE HOW THE NSA DOES BUSINESS IS HOW IT GATHERS DATA AND FROM WHOM, NOT